𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓂𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝑜𝓊𝓁

31: Brothers

"O, I haven't been very honest with you. I kidnapped... No, no, I can't say that. I've obtained my—No, that's not right, either." Zeldris didn't know how to break to Obsidian that he held Meliodas in his possession the entire time while she'd been out scouting the land for him. He racked his brain trying to come up with the best way to tell her. She would lose her mind the second the sentence rolled off his tongue so he needed to come up with a way to cushion the damage that would be done to him.

They didn't lie to each other, and this was a gigantic lie that he'd been covering up for quite a while now. She had a right to know and a right to be angry. The last thing he wanted was a fight, but they just might have to have one.

It had been quite a while since Meliodas had gone missing and revealing he'd been living right under everyone's noses would surely cause dissension among the remaining members of the Commandments. The prince couldn't help himself back then. He was guided by his emotions after Meliodas's brutal fight with his girlfriend and wanted to punish him for the harm he'd caused. His brother was supposed to die that day, but Zeldris had stopped himself. As much as he hated Meliodas, his love and care for Obsidian would always be placed above his vengeance. And maybe that was his most vulnerable aspect. He would go to war over Obsidian if it meant keeping her safe, even if it meant going against what was best for his army. If word ever got out about his treachery, Zeldris would be crucified. Maybe they'd treat him just like Meliodas. Maybe somebody would chain him up to be humiliated.

Zeldris puffed out his cheeks to let out an exasperated sigh. He was nothing like his useless brother!

All this nonsense with the Seven Deadly Sins was enough and starting to get to his head. Somehow they were even more annoying without their leader. They were relentless and their shared bond fueled their fury.  It was time for this little game to be over. It started and would end with Meliodas.

"Rambling to yourself, brother?" Estarossa came up behind him.

Zeldris sighed, running a hand through his raven hair. There were many things the prince was good at. Social interaction was not one of them. He had planned on letting Obsidian be the first to know, but maybe his brother also deserved to be let in on what Zeldris had been hiding.

"There's something I need to show you."

"And why are we going down here? It's just a dingy basement." Estarossa descended the stairs as he followed his brother to an awaiting surprise. Whatever Zeldris wanted to show him must've been top-secret for him to drag Estarossa all the way down here.

Zeldris shushed him. "You'll see."

"You're not bringing me down here to kill me, are you?" Estarossa joked as they walked.

"No. Now come on."

"Brother, if this is a prank—" The man stopped.

Estarossa couldn't believe his eyes seeing his older brother in such a weakened state. This was Meliodas, first born of the Demon King and the infamous dragon sin. Bruises and dried blood covered his body from the various tortures committed by Zeldris and the youngest prince frowned seeing how bad he'd done his own kin.

"Damn! I didn't expect this. All this time..." Estarossa muttered, fully taking in Meliodas sitting there before him. "Damn... Damn. And you're telling me before your own girlfriend? Someone's bold. Though, maybe it is for the best..."

"I'm entrusting you with my secret. I just thought telling O would make me feel better, but I know she would never forgive me if she knew the truth."

"I'm quite sure she'd try to kill you," Estarossa agreed, still mesmerized by Meliodas sitting right in front of him.

"Not like she hasn't tried before. I'm surprised you're not angry with me." Zeldris glanced at him.